Tadaima
by Floric1434
Summary: He was lost. He was empty. He was desperate. He didn't know where to go. He didn't know what he was looking for. He had lost something. He was empty because of it. He was desperate to find it. Where... Where can he find it? How can he fill up this emptiness? What has been lost from him? 'Look forward and follow myself,'


I heard it's Hiroto's birthday today (23rd of October)

so here I wrote something especially for him

... 3 months ago...

... for 6 hours straight...

... non stop...

* * *

"_Papa! Mama! When are we going to see the stars?!" the voice of a young boy echoed excitedly._

_Two adults – a male and a female – smiled at the young boy. All three of them had red hair – the woman's hair a shade darker than the man's and the boy's. The woman crouched down, caressing the boy's cheek with her hand._

"_How about tomorrow night?" she said with a gentle smile._

_The boy's face lit up with ecstasy. "Can we bring Ryuusei-chan with us too?"_

"_Of course, after all he is part of the family," the man answered and rubbed the dog's head with a wide grin. The dog barked and wagged its tail. It licked the young boy's face. _

"_Ah, Ryuusei-chan stop that!" the young boy shouted with a smile, slightly disgusted but still glad._

_The boy laughed along with his parents._

* * *

"You called for me, Father?" a kid walked into a room. He was about six years old. His bright red hair was a big mess, his clothes slightly dirty from playing outside.

Inside the room, there was an old man who resembled a Buddhist. His always closed eyes and his big earlobes had been a part of him for as long as he could remember. The man placed the cup of green tea in front of him and beckoned the red-haired kid closer. The kid obeyed the owner of the orphanage.

"Hoshi-kun, would you like to have a new name?" Kira Seijirou went straight to the point.

The kid was taken aback at this. A new name…? "What do you mean, Father?"

Seijirou smiled at his question. "I want to give you a new name. I want to give you the name Hiroto."

'Hiroto…' the red-haired kid wondered inside his head. He liked the name. The kid smiled joyfully at his 'Father', whom he had had grown to love so much.

"I accept," he agreed with a wide grin, happy to have his Father name him.

* * *

_His bright teal eyes were stained with tears. Shock, grief, anger, and disbelief washed over him. Ryuusei growled in anger – its natural killer instincts kicking in. _

_Two bodies – the boy's parents – were on the floor, a big pool of blood around them. Another adult male was seen standing not far from the bodies, a pistol in his hand. His breath wasn't steady, his eyes were crazy. In his other hand were some jewellery and in his stained jeans' pockets were a large amount of cash._

_The father was dead, despite his efforts to stop the other adult. He was shot twice in the head; his wife screamed his name when he fell onto the ground. Another shot was heard, the bullet hitting the woman in the abdomen. She was barely alive, when her son had climbed down the stairs with his small backpack and Ryuusei beside him. The dog barked loudly when it sniffed the foul smell of blood – bringing the killer's attention to the boy and the dog._

"_Mama…? Papa…?"_

_The woman cried silently, despite the pain. She wasn't able to keep her promise to her son. She wasn't going to take him to see the stars tonight. Sensing the possible danger, she tried to tell her dear son to run – even though it was futile._

"_Hoshi-kun… run… run and save yourself…"_

_Her eyes slowly closed._

_The boy wanted to run – he really did. He was young, but he knew that the situation right now was dangerous. His parents had taught him well about safety and he was ready to use his agreeably enough knowledge to save himself. _

_But he was distracted by a click and a gunshot. A small whimper of an animal was heard. The boy turned his head to Ryuusei, and gasped. The dog was dead._

_Unable to keep in his fear, the young boy trembled like an earthquake. Everything his parents told him to do and not to do escaped him like mice. He turned his head forward; towards the unknown man that he was sure was the one that killed Ryuusei and his parents. _

"_Such a troublesome animal," the pistol was pointed right at him. "It's your turn… kid."_

_The boy's feet were rooted from fear._

_The fifth gunshot echoed throughout the house. The body of the killer dropped to the ground, a bullet hole at the back of his head. As his knees buckled, the young boy saw what was behind the killer._

_A policeman was in the house's doorway – with a gun pointed at the now dead killer. The boy finally noticed the bright red and blue lights from outside. He had been too afraid to notice anything up until now. The boy too, fell to the ground from relief – though he was still shaking like a leaf._

_The policeman spoke into a walkie-talkie before walking towards the young boy. The man looked like he was out of breath and his hair was a big mess – even his cap was out of place. He crouched down next to the boy and hugged him._

"_I'm so glad… I made it…" he mumbled, before letting the boy go to look into those bright teal eyes that were filled with tears. The young boy knew this man. It was his father's colleague that he had always played with in the weekends. The policeman had red hair like his best friend's aka the kid's father, but his was so dark it almost looked like dried blood._

_A teardrop ran down the boy's right cheek. "Papa… Mama… Ryuusei-chan…" he muttered, trying to convince himself that this was all just a dream. _

"_It's alright, Hoshi… It's alright…" the man said, his voice cracking. He somehow managed a heartbreaking smile – before finally letting his tears go. "They're in a better place now… All three of them," _

_The boy wailed with more tears coming out of his eyes. The sirens of the ambulance and the police cars echoed throughout the neighbourhood._

* * *

Hiroto grumbled and scratched the back of his head. Suzuno and Nagumo were fighting over the soccer ball again. Saginuma wasn't doing very well in trying to separate them – and neither was Hitomiko.

The eight year old kid kicked some imaginary dust. "Che, those two are always hoarding the ball," he whined to himself. Hiroto walked down the hallway. Everybody else was playing outside. Father was out, getting them more gifts and toys, he assumed.

The kid looked to his side and noticed that the door to Hitomiko's room was open. He thought it was strange, since Hitomiko always locked the door. She never allowed any of the orphans to go in and she always warned them that if she ever caught any of them trying to get into her room, they were going to face her wrath.

He smirked, suddenly feeling naughty. Hiroto slowly walked towards the room. He literally jumped in and closed the door. Oh man, Nagumo was going to be so jealous once the other red haired kid learned that Hiroto had been in their onee-san's room. Hiroto was going to be labelled as the bravest one among all of them.

The room was fairly lit, thanks to the opened window. Hiroto could see the bed, the wardrobe and the study desk. The sneaky little kid walked towards the bed, disgusted at how everything in the room was girly. Yep, he wasn't going to come in here again after this.

Hiroto then walked towards the study desk. He climbed up the chair and saw that Hitomiko had been doing her homework before she had to come out and calm Nagumo and Suzuno down. Looking at the mathematical problems, Hiroto sweat dropped and wondered how his onee-san could understand all of this.

Hiroto's gaze shifted towards a picture frame. He narrowed his eyes to get a better look. The sunlight from the window was making it hard for him to see the picture in the frame. But somehow, Hiroto could see somebody who looked familiar. Somebody who he had seen so many times before.

The kid grabbed the frame and brought it closer to his face. It was a picture of a soccer player with dark red hair and dark teal eyes. He was wearing a bright and happy smile. This kid looked like he was in his teen years - and from the medal in his hands, Hiroto guessed that the kid in the picture had just won a soccer match.

Hiroto gasped. Was that… him? No, it couldn't be. Then who-

His eyes landed on some handwriting on the picture. It was faint, but Hiroto could read it.

'Kira Hiroto.'

The picture frame dropped out of his hand, just as Hitomiko walked into her room. The teenager was speechless at what she saw. She didn't dare to move from her spot. Hiroto turned his head around to face Hitomiko, with wide eyes that were watering with tears. He hadn't cried in years. He hadn't cried ever since he shouted the phrase 'Look forward and follow the stars!'

"Hi... roto..." Hitomiko muttered softly in horror, realizing what the younger boy had just found out.

A wary smile decorated his lips, as his salty tears washed his cheeks. Reality hit him smack in the face as he asked the next question.

"I'm… a replacement…?"

* * *

"_Why… why can't you be my guardian…?" _

_The man's grip on the boy's hand tightened. He was on his knees again, just so he can have a better look of the boy's face. He managed a smile._

"_Because you know where I live. My apartment is not a suitable place for a growing kid like you,"_

"_I… I don't mind! I can sleep anywhere! I'm small; you probably won't even notice I'm there every time you're home!"_

_The man chuckled at the boy's stubbornness. He was so much like his late father. "But you won't be tiny forever, Hoshi. That is why you're going to live with this nee-san," the man pointed towards a young high school girl with greenish-black long hair and blue eyes. The high school girl smiled sweetly at the boy, trying to make the boy want to live here in the orphanage._

_The boy cried again. "No! No! I don't want to live here!"_

_It had been two weeks since the boy was orphaned. He had been living with the man ever since. He wasn't up for another sudden change._

"_But you'll be getting a lot of new friends here, and you'll have so much fun. And then when you're old enough, they can send you to school," the man said, comforting the boy. "I have a job, Hoshi. You can't stay with me forever. What would your old man say if he saw you like this?" he tried to convince the boy, this time using his late father._

_The boy visibly flinched at this. He looked at his feet and wiped his eyes, before looking back up again – a new shine seen in his eyes. The high school girl gaped at this. How those eyes shined reminded her of someone so dear to her - heck this boy himself reminded her of him._

"_Look forward and follow the stars!" the young boy shouted with so much confidence, it would be hard for anybody to believe that he had been crying earlier. The man smiled with satisfaction. He stood up and ruffled the – now smiling – boy's hair. _

"_That's the spirit!" the man exclaimed. He turned his head towards the high school girl with a smile. "I'll be counting on you, Kira-san."_

_The girl nodded her head. "We'll take very good care of him." She placed a hand on the young boy's shoulder. The boy smiled at her and she smiled back._

"_I will be forever grateful," the man bowed. "I'll be going now, Hoshi. I'll come and visit every time I get the chance."_

"_Bye-bye!" the boy shouted as the man walked out of the door. Before closing it, he gave the young boy a grin._

_Just as the man left, the boy turned his head towards the high school girl. He held her hand, surprising the girl. "Ne, ne, what's your name?" he asked._

_The high school girl smiled. "Kira Hitomiko. Just call me onee-san, okay?"_

_The boy nodded his head and saluted, as if he was a soldier. "I'm Kiyama Hoshi! It's nice to meet you, onee-san!"_

_Hitomiko giggled. "It's nice to meet you too, Hoshi-kun."_

* * *

He was lost. He didn't know who he was anymore. He wasn't 'Hoshi' anymore. He wasn't even 'Hiroto'.

He led himself to believe that he was just a doll; a marionette puppet, to be exact. He was to follow his puppeteer's orders, whether he liked it or not.

But he didn't mind; because his puppeteer was Father. His only father; the man he looked up to so much. He didn't care if he was a replacement for the real marionette puppet. He was the same. He was an exact duplicate. He was created to replace the real star of the show.

He didn't mind. He didn't mind at all.

* * *

"_Are you seriously okay with this, Hiroto?!" Hitomiko shouted, fear in her voice – sadness in her eyes._

_The ten year old Kiyama 'Hiroto' turned his head slightly to the side to look at his 'sister' in the face. His face was expressionless. No smile was seen, no laughing was heard. His cold eyes stared at his 'sister'._

"_If this is what Father wants, then I'm more than willing." He said, without any hesitation in his voice. His tone was cold, just like his – now dull – bright teal eyes._

"_I… I want to be a part of this too!" Midorikawa shouted, while looking at Father. Even though his voice was shaky, one could see the passion in his eyes._

_Soon, all of the orphans gathered in the dining room chorused on wanting to be a part of the Aliea Gakuen project their Father had announced._

_Hitomiko sat in her chair, horrified and clearly mad._

_Seijirou's face held a wicked smile. He turned his face to Hiroto, who was still as cold as ever, and nodded at him. "That's my son, Hiroto."_

_Hiroto's heart cracked._

* * *

"I saw you play," he said to Endou with a small smile. The brunet stopped playing with his ball and turned his head to the newcomer.

"Really? What did you think? Ah, could it be that you play soccer too?" Endou asked. "Here!" he kicked the ball towards Hiroto. The fourteen year old red haired teenager stared at the ball as it flew past him. He heard Endou laughed.

"What are you doing? You're supposed to kick it!" Endou said and retrieved the ball.

Hiroto slightly chuckled at this. He slid his hands into his pockets, the coldness of the night catching up to him. "I'll see you again," and he walked away - disappearing from Endou's sight.

He returned to Aliea Academy's base – where everyone was fast asleep. He walked towards his room without any expression. He opened the door and walked in – not even caring to flick the light switch on. The dim neon light from his lava lamp on the bedside table illuminated his room that he decorated by himself. Glow-in-the-dark stars were on the ceiling. His walls were midnight blue – the colour of the night sky. He painted some planets – like Jupiter, Saturn and Mars – on random parts of his wall. He added the Solar System's only star – the Sun – above his bed's headboard.

His study desk looked like it came from a spaceship. In his bookshelf, there were books about a lot of stuff – ranging from novels to fact books. A soccer ball was seen on one of the shelves. His soccer boots were partly hidden by the midnight blue bed covers. His wardrobe held his soccer jerseys and his school uniform and his other casual attire.

The latter walked over to his bed and sat on it. He spotted a piece of paper on his bedside table and took it into his hands. His teacher assigned his class to write about their ambitions – which in his opinion, was really childish. Then again, his room was childish for a growing teen.

But Hiroto was caught off guard to tell the truth. His ambition… He didn't know what he wanted to be. He didn't understand why he didn't know what he wanted to be. He could play soccer, so he could be a soccer player. Being a soccer player was enough from him, even if it did felt like something wasn't right.

* * *

"_I'll be expecting a lot from the five of you," Seijirou said with cup of green tea in his hands. In front of him, were the five thirteen year old boys who were the newly appointed captains to the five extraterrestrial teams. _

_Midorikawa Ryuuji, or Reize, is the newly appointed captain of the team Gemini Storm – the second rank team. He bowed with a sense of pride inside of him. He wasn't his usual cheerful self that was for sure._

_Saginuma Osamu – Desarm – was given the responsibility to lead Epsilon, the first rank team. He acted the same as ever, definitely having more pride than Reize._

_Suzuno Fuusuke – Gazel. His ice cold personality and his ability to be responsible made Seijirou choose him to be the captain of Diamond Dust – one of the master rank teams._

_Nagumo Haruya grinned. He was one of the strongest strikers among all of them. His hot-headed self gave him the nickname 'Burn'. It also gave him the opportunity to lead the team Prominence – another master rank team. _

_Kiyama Hiroto. Gran. Something in his heart told him that Father chose him to become the captain of the team Gaia because he was his favourite. Hiroto was a replacement for his real son. And if Seijirou really did see him as 'Hiroto', he would definitely do his best to become 'Hiroto'._

_And that meant being the best in soccer – it meant getting the title Genesis. Whatever happens, he'll be the one to have that title. He'll be the one._

* * *

Hiroto smiled happily as he walked out of the taxi cab and paid the driver. His flight from Liocott Island back to Japan had been tiring – especially with a terrified Tsunami who couldn't stop shouting at how high up in the air they were.

He glanced up at the familiar building; the place that had been his home for years. Oh, how he missed this place.

He decided not to come in yet. He heard from Saginuma that the orphans usually played soccer at the nearby field. Hiroto decided to head there - he wanted to surprise them. But in the same time, he was pretty sure that they wouldn't be that surprised.

The red haired teen jogged towards the field. When he arrived, he saw Midorikawa practicing alone with Hitomiko watching him. A smile decorated his lips as he rushed towards them while waving his hand.

"Nee-san! Midorikawa-kun!" he shouted, attracting the attention of the two people he cared a lot. The two turned their heads around. Midorikawa, who had been dribbling a ball around some cones, grinned happily at the sight of his best friend. Hitomiko smiled softly upon seeing her foster brother.

"Hiroto!" Midorikawa shouted as he ran towards Hiroto, who was running towards him. Their collision point was in front of Hitomiko but they were smart enough to stop right before they crashed into each other. They didn't want to get any bruises.

"You're back!" Midorikawa said, as joyful as ever. Hiroto nodded at this.

"Sooner than I expected too," they heard Hitomiko say. She had walked over to them with her hands crossed and her smile still there. But her smile turned into a frown of confusion. "But why didn't you tell me so I can pick you up at the airport?"

The guy scratched the back of his head nervously. "Well, I didn't want to trouble you and the others – besides I had enough money for a taxi ride," he answered honestly and smiled.

Hitomiko sighed and shook her head. But she didn't mind though. She was just glad to see Hiroto back to his usual self – happy and having fun.

"Hey Hiroto, want to play soccer?" Midorikawa asked, and kicked a nearby soccer ball into his hands. Hiroto smiled and threw his bag onto the ground. He ran forward and stole the ball from his best friend, dribbling towards the middle of the field while laughing.

Midorikawa had been caught off guard. "Oi! I wasn't ready!" he shouted, clearly not satisfied. He ran after Hiroto, wanting to steal the ball from him.

Hitomiko looked at them with amusement in her eyes.

* * *

_His abdomen hurt. It really did. As expected of the Genesis' ace striker, Ulvida's shot could injure anybody who wasn't as strong as she was. Gran was just lucky he was stronger than the girl. The gasps and shouts of his name from everybody around him filled his ears as he dropped onto the ground. _

"_Hiroto!" he heard Endou call out his name. Gran struggled to open his eyes. He saw the brunet in front of him held a worried expression. "Endou-kun…" he winced in pain again._

"_Gran… Why? Why are you siding with that man?!" Ulvida shouted, her anger not dissolving. The other members of the Genesis agreed with her in silence._

_Gran slowly stood up, with one hand holding the place where the ball had hit him earlier. Endou helped him – an action he was really grateful for._

"_Because he's my father!" he said, without any hesitation – just determination. Everyone around him gasped at his statement – especially Ulvida, Seijirou and Hitomiko._

_A chuckle came out of Hiroto. He slightly turned his head around to take a look at Seijirou. "No, I'm not that stupid. I know he's not my real father. Hiroto's not even my real name. I was renamed after his deceased son…" his eyes found their way on Ulvida again. Endou, the Inazuma Caravan members and even the orphans who didn't know gasped at this._

_Hitomiko's fists tightened. "Hiroto…" her eyes were filled with worry._

"_But… even though he's not my real father, he's the only father I have!" the teenager shouted. Tears had escaped his eyes and he just let them flow. He let all of his feelings out. He was a replacement, he knew that very well - but that didn't mean Father wasn't a replacement for his real father. The love he had for his Father wasn't fake. He couldn't fake that. No matter what he did to him, Father was still father - his father. _

_Seijirou stood shocked at this. "Hiroto…" his fists gripped with determination as he stepped in front of his beloved foster son. This Hiroto and that Hiroto were two different people. He needed to learn how to let go of the past. He had hurt enough of his beloved children. It was time to move on - time to go onto the next chapter. Time to repent for his evil deeds._

"_Go on Ulvida. Kick the ball at me. I know I'm a bad person, and I deserve that kick. So, kick. Kick it now!" Seijirou had thrown the ball back towards Ulvida. He didn't waver one bit. He was willing to receive the shot that would probably send him to the hospital. But he won't step down now. He deserved this._

_Gran and Hitomiko gasped. "Father…!"_

_Ulvida gritted her teeth. She lifted her leg, ready to shoot – her eyes burned with anger and hatred. But suddenly she stopped. She stood frozen in her position. Ulvida sniffed as her own eyes betrayed her. The tears came and she lost control of her body – ending her on her arms and knees. She cried. She couldn't do it. She couldn't do it no matter how many times she willed herself to do it. She couldn't bend reality._

_The girl cried even more as the other orphans started to cry with her._

"_Gran's right… You're the only… you're the only father that we have!"_

* * *

Hiroto stretched his sore arms. He was really tired from all the homework he had just completed. Ah, high school really was a hellhole. His body and mind were both tired from all of this work.

He was in his last year of high school, and he was working really hard – everybody could see that. But he had a reason for working so hard. No, it's not because he wanted to get into a great college or anything – he was going to inherit the Kira Finance for crying out loud – but something had been bothering his mind ever since the FFI ended.

What were his dreams?

He couldn't remember what he had wanted to become – what he had hoped to become – when he used to be a kid. Had it been a famous artist? Or was it a chef? Ah, none of these sounded right. He wasn't interested in fame and he was definitely not into culinary.

Back then – during the Aliea Academy fiasco – he had only dreamed about one thing; making Father happy.

But after all of that, he had been lost once more. He lost his dream. He still played soccer with the rest of the orphans, but there was a void inside of him; a void that he needed to fill but had no idea how.

That void was never filled for the next three months – until the FFI started. It was because of the FFI, he found a new dream, a new destination; a place to go. Something to aim for. He felt complete, and was of course beyond happy when they won the tournament – making them the best in the world.

It didn't last long however. He was lost again after reaching his first dream. The void came back, even stronger than before. Something was missing from his life – from _him_ – and he had no idea what. He played more soccer, winning more games. But not long after, he finally decided that enough was enough. Slowly, he started to distance himself from the sport. He wasn't as active as before – the soccer club tried recruiting him but he politely declined their offer. He would only play the game with the other orphans and teaching the younger orphans what he knew about soccer.

"Wait, what are inner planets again?"

Hiroto overheard Nagumo asking Suzuno when he was in the kitchen. Hiroto's vein popped at probably the stupidest question he had ever heard coming from the other red head, especially at this age. He slammed the cabinet door shut after taking his favourite mug – shocking the other two occupants of the kitchen.

"The inner planets consists of Mecury, Venus, Earth and Mars. The outer planets are the rest of the planets in the Solar System, namely Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto the dwarf planet – I still don't understand why NASA is debating whether it's a real planet or not – and our tenth not-so-very popular planet, Sedna. Also, NASA is getting some evidence on an eleventh planet." Hiroto explained in one breath as he rummaged another cabinet for some instant coffee.

Suzuno blinked and he stopped brushing his hair with his fingers. He didn't expect Hiroto to answer on his behalf – because in truth, he didn't really know about these inner and outer planets and whatever. Nagumo scratched the back of his head. He became curious about the planets suddenly from a TV show. He hoped that Suzuno would have an answer for him but he was clearly wrong. Even so, he didn't understand the shit Hiroto just said.

"…What? Um, how can we tell which planet is in which category?"

Hiroto sighed as he waited for the hot water to boil. "The inner and outer planets are separated by the asteroid belt, dummy. Not only that the inner planets are made up of rock while the outer planets are made up of gas. You know Jupiter? Well guess what, if you ever try to step on its surface, you would go right through it because you're fucking heavier than it is. And Saturn, it can fucking float on water if we found an ocean big enough to fit it in." The kettle whistled and he poured the hot water into his mug. He had always liked to do things manually.

Suzuno and Nagumo blinked again – confused and of course amazed. How the fucking fuck did Hiroto know all of this?

Hiroto stirred his coffee in his hands and took a seat at the dining table. The other two young adults stared at him like he had six eyes. The spectacles wearing teenager noticed this.

"What? Don't tell me neither of you knew about all of this?"

Suzuno and Nagumo shook their heads. Hiroto's vein popped again and he smacked Nagumo in the head – since Nagumo was the closest to him. "And you called yourself the captain of Prominence! I bet you don't even know what a prominence is!"

Nagumo rubbed his head. "Ouch, ouch, is your fist made of rock or something?" the yellow-eyed male blinked and slowly shook his head. He really didn't know what a prominence is. And from Hiroto's tone and face, he could tell that 'prominence' wasn't just a fancy and cool sounding word.

"Oh, and the name of the hissatsus from the other teams besides Diamond Dust really made no sense too…" Nagumo said a little hesitantly. He was hoping that Hiroto wouldn't hit him again.

Hiroto sighed before slowly taking off his glasses.

And introduced his forehead to the table.

* * *

_It had been three months since their Father was sent to jail. Everybody found it kind of hard to accept, especially Hiroto. But with all of them together – along with Hitomiko – they managed to get through it._

_Hiroto was currently in the playground clad in his purple coloured shirt. He didn't know why but he had always favoured the colour – along with the colour orange. Carefully, the teenager balanced the soccer ball on his knee. He was challenging himself. He wanted to see how long he could stand still without dropping the ball._

_As he continued doing just that, his mind slowly wandered off to a certain chaos duo. Suzuno and Nagumo had left mysteriously with just a mere goodbye. They didn't tell anybody where they were going and it sort of disturbed Hiroto. Even Hitomiko seemed to be keeping something from them._

_Just as he was about to break his three minute record, his telephone rang thus startling him. He lost his balance and the ball rolled off of his knee. The teenager cursed; another fail of an attempt at being focused. He sighed and slid his telephone out of his pocket._

"_Hello? Yes, this is Hiroto speaking," his bright teal eyes widened when the other called identified himself. "Hi-Hibiki-san? Why are you calling me all of a sudden? And how did you even get my number?!"_

_A few murmurs were heard from the telephone's speakers that were only audible to Hiroto's ear._

"_Raimon Jr. High? With Midorikawa-kun? But why-" he was cut off. "Ah, Hibiki-san!" Hiroto shouted into his phone, as if it could somehow redial Hibiki's number or magically send Hiroto's shout to the other user. The red-haired teenager's lips pursed in confusion. Hibiki wanted him to come to Raimon Jr. High. He even told him to bring Midorikawa with him. _

_Something was up, he could feel it._

* * *

"Hiroto, make sure everything is done properly!" Hitomiko's voice echoed through the doorway.

"Okay!" Hiroto shouted back. He was cleaning the attic, as part of the weekend activity Hitomiko had planned. He did have to admit, it would have been better if Hitomiko thought up of something else but no, she just had to plan something that involved cleaning. Oh well, the attic was in need of a makeover.

Hiroto moved a stack of boxes, emptying the contents. Hitomiko ordered him to find some stuff to throw away or something. As he emptied the third big box, Hiroto finally realized how lonely he was up here. His only source of light was that window, and the room pretty much blocked out all noise from the world outside.

Knowing this, the empty feeling inside of him came back. Hiroto clenched his fists slightly together.

Empty.

He was empty, just like these boxes. At least these boxes know what is gone from them. For him, he just couldn't think of anything. Everything he suggested to himself never seemed right.

He mentally sighed as he picked up the fourth box. If this keeps up, he was going to need to learn on how to live with this emptiness inside of him. Hiroto placed the box onto the table that was filled with all sort of junk and knick knacks. The other three boxes were on the floor now. As Hiroto peeled the seal to this box off, he felt a sense of déjà vu.

_Yozora ni matataku hoshitachi _

Hiroto flipped a flap open and gasped softly. He raised his hand and let his finger trace the red writing on the flap of the box.

_Tsuyoku hakanaku kagayaki_

'Hoshi'.

_Taisetsu na egao no tame ni_

A small smile appeared on his face and he pushed his glasses up, sniffing a little from all the dust in this room. So this box had his belongings… He wondered what sort of forgotten treasure he was going to find.

_Kibou wo egaku _

Hiroto flipped the remaining flaps open and took out the very first thing he saw. Ryuusei's collar and tag name. Memories of his beloved dog started to come back – he hadn't been in memory lane for a long time.

_Ryuusei ni nare_

"Ryuusei-chan…"

_Mada hitoribocchi_

A warm and fuzzy feeling emerged inside of him. He liked this feeling, whatever it was. It made him feel safe. The young adult smiled sadly and placed the collar and tag name next to the box but away from the rest of the junk on the table.

_Tayorinai hikari demo_

The next thing Hiroto found was a picture of his family together. It was taken a few months before they were killed. Hiroto frowned in disappointment. He had almost forgotten how his parents looked like – let alone their voices. Even their names were starting to slip out of his mind. He eyed his father, smiling despite his disappointment. Well, it seems like he won't be having such a hard time remembering how his father looked like. The man grinning in the picture had too much resemblance to the man he saw everyday in the mirror.

_Mada kurayami ni_

"Papa… Mama…"

_Kiesou na kodoku demo_

The picture was placed next to the collar. Hiroto rummaged deeper into the box. At first he didn't really find anything interesting – just a few of his old clothes that were somehow still in good shape. Maybe he'll give some of these clothes to the young orphans.

_Aa mitsuketan da mune ni aru ohisama_

But then he hit jackpot. He hit the gold, the treasure.

_Hatashitai to kokoro kara negau yume_

His astronomy book.

_Yozora ni matataku hoshitachi tsuyoku hakanaku kagayaki_

The warm and fuzzy feeling from earlier came back, much clearer and more noticeable than before. A nostalgic feeling washed over him – almost literally. His whole body twitched from excitement. He lifted the really heavy book out of the box – so this thing was the whole reason why his box weighed kilos – and sat cross-legged on the floor. Hiroto noticed the book was a little dusty, even though it was covered by piles of clothes and protected by the box. He blew the dust off and turned to the first page.

_Taisetsu na egao no tame ni_

A happy smile decorated his face; his eyes were undoubtedly shining from sheer joy. He felt like a kid again, rereading all of the stuff his parents had read to him all of those years ago. He suddenly felt… complete. He felt whole. He never felt something like this when he was playing soccer. He never felt something like this when he did anything else.

_Kibou wo egaku ryuusei ni nare_

By the time Hiroto reached the last page, the sun was already setting – signalling twilight. He could hear the faint call of the birds through the window. The red-haired male immediately closed the book.

_Sousa hitorizutsu ga atsumatte tsunagatte_

He knew what he was going to do tonight.

_Motto kono sora wa risou e to KIRAmeku yo_

He pocketed the picture of his family. Ryuusei's collar was readjusted so it would fit his wrist. The tag name was slung around his neck.

_Aa sorezore ga seiza no hitotsubu_

Hiroto quickly cleaned up the other junk. He randomly shoved them into the other three boxes. He collected his old clothes and placed them into their box again – the unbelievably heavy book on top of the heap.

_Koko ni ite iin da ne to omoeru ne_

He lifted up the box, taking note that cleaning the attic all over again cost him quite an amount of time. The sun was already gone – but that was just what he wanted.

_Tatoe haruka hanaretetemo kanashii kizuna da to shitemo_

With the box in one hand, he climbed down the attic using the ladder and immediately closed the trap door. He saw Reina just coming out of her room and he approached her. "Where's nee-san?" he asked the blue haired female. Reina pointed towards a direction Hiroto knew so well. Of course, Hitomiko would be with the younger kids. He thanked Reina and hurriedly walked away.

_Mabushii hikari ni mo nareru_

The playroom was booming with laughter from the young children as they played with Hitomiko. Hiroto entered the room and was immediately tackled by the kids there. They were all shouting his name. Hiroto laughed with them. Hitomiko sighed with a smile at the sight.

_Sono sonzai de zutto kagayake_

"Okay guys, break it up," Hitomiko said as she made her way to her foster brother. Hiroto nodded his head at her and gave her the box – making sure to take out the book. Hitomiko stared at the contents of the box.

_KIRAKIRA hitomi ni utsushite agetai_

"The best clothes I could find in the Attic Department Store," Hiroto joked with a cheeky smile.

_Kotaete ikun da mitete hoshii yo zutto todoke_

Hitomiko sighed. She was about to say something when she saw Hiroto turning around and heading towards the door. "Where are you going?" she asked.

_Yozora ni matataku hoshitachi tsuyoku hakanaku kagayaki_

Hiroto turned his head around a little with a mysterious smile on his face. "It's a secret~" he winked.

_Taisetsu na egao _

He closed the door behind him and walked towards the kitchen – where the backdoor was located. Midorikawa was searching the fridge for something to fill his empty stomach, when he heard the backdoor open. He blinked but before he could see who had left, the door already closed.

_No tame ni_

Hiroto jogged into the nearby woods. He knew the woods well, he wouldn't get lost even in the dark. Even so, he was just aiming for one place.

_Kibou wo egaku_

That clearing with a hill.

_Ryuusei ni nare_

He couldn't help but to smile when he saw the clearing and the hill. The young adult lunged forward, landing on the grass. He didn't care if his clothes were going to get dirty – he wouldn't care if Hitomiko scolded him for being so immature.

_Tatoe haruka hanaretetemo_

Hiroto placed the book next to him and lied on his back – his eyes tracing the bright dots in the sky. Just as he had expected, the clearing was far enough from the city.

_Kanashii_

He felt complete because he had found what was missing from him.

_Kizuna da _

How had he been so blind all of these years?

___To shitemo_

He had his present (soccer) and he had his future (the Kira Financial Company).

___Mabushii _

It was just that he had forgotten about his past.

_______Hikari ni_

He had forgotten himself.

_____Mo nareru_

The young adult removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes a little, suppressing tears of joy. He had missed his stars. He had missed gazing at them. He had missed himself.

_Sono sonzai de_

"I'm home…!" he shouted with a laugh. All of this was a bliss for him. He suddenly felt closer to his late parents, his dog Ryuusei and he felt complete. His mind and body relaxed as his laugh decreased to a chuckle. Small tiny drops of tears were visible on his eyes. He really did felt like he was home, where the stars were at.

_Zutto kagayake_

"I'm back..."

_Kibou wo egaku_

'Look forward and follow the stars, Hoshi!'

_Ryuusei ni nare_

Look forward and follow yourself.

* * *

If you are reading this, let me congratulate you on a job well done. Thank you for reading this, tell me what you think of this if you're willing, and Happy 15th Birthday Kiyama Hiroto, you're younger than your uke.

Obvious Note: Hoshi is obviously not Hiroto's canon name. It's just my headcanon. His parents are like huge fans of space and all that shit. So yeah.

On another note a mistake has been made by me in this A/N. My brain was frozen, and if I actually wrote this today then it would turn into a different thing altogether. Okay, what am I rambling about again? Oh right, I accidentally wrote 'Happy 14th Birthday' instead of 15th so yeah. Changed that. Forgotten about it. Again, thank you for reading and reviewing.


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